Spring is Here -- Almost

The picture is of Bruce enjoying one of our first days of spring.  That was Friday when we got 6-8 inches of new snow.  Lee and Eva were coming with the kids and he had to plow so they could get into the driveway.  Then today we got real spring temperatures.  It was 20 below this morning.  The snowbanks which were beginning to shrink are now well above my head again.  With these temperatures obviously there will be no melting today.

I have to admit that it is glorious outside.  Our ski trails are in perfect condition and the snowmobile trails should also be great.  Neighbor Fred tells me that we have received about 100-110 inches of snow the winter.  Bruce says that our snow will outlast our skiing customers.  Lee says that they have lots of bare ground in the Twin Cities.

The fishing was wonderful this weekend.  We had a group of men in Cabin #27 who really struck gold with Lake Trout.  They limited out and still threw back about 20 fish.  They were fishing right in front of the lodge within easy walking distance.  It is a great way to end of season.

Bruce and I spent most of last week in the Twin Cities with April from the front desk.  It was our regular spring buying trip for the gift shops.  We spent two days just looking and two days buying.  Bruce gets really frustrated buying at these shows.  The reps bring in temporary people who can’t work the computers and don’t know the product lines.  In spite of all, a few new things are going on the shelves that will tempt you all (we hope).

Our biggest spring project – new staff housing – is moving along very well.  All the sheetrock and interior painting is finished.  The ceramic tile is going into the kitchens and bathrooms.  The exterior siding is going on.  Cabinets and closets will be next on the list.  There will be 16 rooms that can accommodate about 35 people.  It is scary to think how big our staff has gotten.  When Bruce and I were first married there were about a dozen people living on the entire lake during the winter.

I have been watching the birds at my feeders.  In particular the American Goldfinches are turning color.  During the winter their bodies are a plain beige color.  During the summer their bodies are bright yellow.  So far I have noticed that the yellow color starts to come in at their heads a progress down the body.  Now I have to watch to see how the color change continues.

Summer reservations are coming in steadily.  As always, the bigger cabins for families are filling in first.  Up at the outfitters we are getting more groups wanting to go out into the Boundary Waters Canoe Area.  In fact that sounds really good to me right now but I don’t think it is going to happen.